In The Heart of China
by xx Mizz.Masquerade xx
Summary: The once beautiful but now ruined second city of China still has a chance to be beautiful if Ada and Leon's memorable meet up have anything to say about it.


_**AN** The title isn't the best and the summary is too mushy haha, but it'll have to do since I can't think of anything else at the moment but I guess it's cute this way. This is set after the fight with Simmons and takes on a tall building near where Leon and Ada fought him (hopefully that's not much of a spoiler). This is short but it's more than I thought I could write since I'm still getting used to Ada's character. Plus, Ada and Leon's chats are always short so I guess it works out perfectly like this haha, so please enjoy~_

_Just a warning, I'm still suffering from writers' flop (that's when everything I write is shit) but I'm trying to get over it. _

_Ending is cheesy and I'm sorry but hopefully this doesn't suck too much...~_

* * *

Langshiang; it was a beautiful second city to China not too long ago and a perfect attraction with its foreign treasures and promising sights for the people who lived here and for travellers. Perhaps Ada even called it home once or visited often in her life not too long before what she's now familiar with. That's nice to think about for a bit. But now the city is more like a remote wasteland, barely on the verge of a possible comeback thanks to the events involving Simmons that have brought Ada here tonight.

It's tragic how someone wanted the world to change so much that they would spread the C-Virus amongst innocent civilians. It's tragic that Simmons was driven to such a desperate extent and ruined himself. There's a chance he might have gotten away with his plan too if it wasn't for Ada lending a hand here and there to those trying to stop him, because alone they wouldn't have been enough. Of course, nor she or Simmons can take all of the credit for everything. After all, her obsessive doppleganger had played a huge role in this messed up play that they became puppets in.

And that's the real tragedy that Ada's glad to be rid of. She never was good at playing or sharing with others, let alone an evil twin.

"Ada."

But there was always that _one_ person who she didn't mind teaming up with at times, albeit brief.

"Leon, we meet again." She greets him, turning her face to the side to give him an enchanting smile from over her shoulder. He stands there wondering to himself if he should be here while at the same time Ada tells herself that she would be lying if she said she wasn't grateful he was here. Amongst the many things that the virus kills, she hopes that their little meet ups that happen at the oddest times and places won't join the list any time soon. "You're alone. Where's your friend? She's practically been joined to you at the hip all this time, hasn't she?"

"Jealous?" Leon asks, walking in her direction with confident but steady steps. He can't afford to make a wrong move and fall from this building and to his death. More so, he can't afford to get too close to Ada otherwise-and as cheesy as this will sound-like a rare flower in the wind, she'll disappear again and won't be seen for who knows how long.

"Don't flatter yourself." Ada says in protest and coolly moves the loose strand of hair near her eye to tuck behind her right ear. "I just know that you're not the type to leave a lady all by herself, especially not in a city full of infected. It's dangerous."

"Helena can handle herself. Besides, she asked if she could be alone for a minute anyway."

"Why's that?"

"It's her sister...you know-well, you were there when she-"

"Of course. I understand." Ada turns away from him to face Lanshiang again, her thoughts still moving around in her head like a cycle. A part of her feels sympathy for Helena about what happened with her sister, Deborah. She was there and she was the one who attacked her first and used her crossbow to shoot through her head. That however was necessary and that part of her who knows that doesn't feel so regretful. "I know I should ask you to pass on my condolences but there really wasn't anything anyone could've done for her sister. It happens."

"...Yeah." Leon nods. He knows exactly what she means because he's seen it all, survived through it all but just barely. Shooting the president after he became infected is the only reason he can understand what Helena's going through a little better, because although he and the president weren't related they were close friends.

But now that bond is damaged, just like Helena and a lot of other people who are suffering from this hellish ordeal. It's like a nightmare that keeps recurring over and over again. Simmons had them running around like fools for a while! They stopped him but even after confronting him, Leon still can't see the whole picture and understand why anyone would want what Simmons wanted.

"Ada, about Simmons-"

"I know what you're going to ask me, Leon." Ada says, cutting in. She figured that she wasn't the only one wondering about Simmons, and she had been from the moment she came on top of this building. "But there's nothing to say. Simmons wasn't right in the head and we would only be falling near his level if we tried to figure out how his mind worked. Sure, it could prove useful but I'd rather keep my peace of mind. It sickens me knowing that he tried to justify cloning me with how much he wanted me to go back to him but as if that would ever happen."

"What?! Ada, He...Simmons _cloned_ you?!"

"It's nothing."

"_Ada_-"

"I'm a big girl, Leon. And it's already been taken care of." Ada says in a firm tone. She does appreciate his concern for her but it's better if he doesn't know about what she would prefer was just be a fabrication she created from being bored. "Besides, I'm sure the legendary Chris Redfield gets off on chasing me down."

"What makes you say that?"

Logically speaking, the subject should be annoying to Ada. Her doppleganger had caused a lot of trouble for her, the most troubling of all being how she stirred up the BSAA Captain and his loyal partner enough for them to want her head on a plate and in pieces. But instead, she finds it amusing. "Well, _I am_ a beautiful woman, Leon. You're not the only guy who's interested in me."

"No, I guess not." Leon agrees but looks at her like he can tell she's keeping something covered up. "But if that's the case then how come I never see you with any other guys besides Simmons and Me?"

"Because you both like to follow me around like a little dog. Simmons is a creep, like I said. But with you it's cute sometimes."

"I happen to believe that we just end up together a lot in the same place and at the same time. It's coincidence."

"_You_ would_ believe_ that. But you're going to have to break that habit sooner or later because I don't do the partner thing. So don't get your hopes for anything like that happening with us any time soon."

"I won't. You and me being partners wouldn't work out."

"Exactly. And it's funny how some men can be ignorant and say that women can't drive but you, Leon, you're on a whole other level."

Leon glances away from her awkwardly and tries to fight off the head rising in his cheeks. "It's not my fault that whatever vehicle I get my hands on is already about to malfunction! Plus they're always full of infected-"

"Relax, I'm not giving you grief." Ada says, though maybe that's a bit of a lie and if so then she only meant it to bring out a cute reaction from him, and it did; clueless and shy. "But just make sure you survive long enough so you can finally grow a pair and ask me out on a date." She adds when she decides it's time for her to move on and walks passed him, her hand briefly on his shoulder, and stops at the edge of the roof of the building. She gets out her grapple gun, aims for a building far across and lets it shoot out and in to a window, breaking it and clutching on to the ledge.

Leon turns to her. "Who says I want to ask you out?"

"You do, every time you look at me."

"..."

Ada chuckles softly at the cute lack of reaction. "But you can leave it for next time."

Her hand grips the leg of the gun more.

She readies herself to leave the building and fly away again.

"Ada, wait!" Leon calls out just in time. And he can't see it but his familiar action brings Ada's hear to do a little jump and it pulls her lips in to a bigger grin. Trust Leon to act the same, zombie apocalypse or not. "What are you going to do next? Simmons is dead and you don't work for him anymore. And...it's dangerous here right now."

_'You'd really love to hold my hand through everything'_ Ada thinks to herself, knowing it's highly probable. "I can take care of my self, I told you I'm a big girl."

"_Still-_"

"It's no wonder we wouldn't work out as partners, you're stubborn. But I'll be fine, I was born that way."

Leon sighs and gives in. "Okay, if you're sure Ada."

Ada nods to say yes. "You'd better get back to your friend." She instructs, thinking about an impatient Helena looking around for her missing partner. "Who knows, maybe she's found a car for you to drive in to a burning building and crash."

"Ha ha, very funny." Leon cheers dryly. "Good joke, Ada."

Ada's eyes sharpen on him and her smile switches in to a grin. "You should know by now Leon that I never joke when it comes to us." She chuckles again at his silence reaction and then with a wink and a salute says, "See ya." before pulling on her grapple gun and letting it pull her from the building and swing her across and in to the window the hook had broken for her entry.

Now she has to find a way out of here. She can't go back to the helicopter she found but there has to be another one nearby somewhere.

It's a shame that her visit to China was so short and that it wasn't about her enjoying a well needed vacation. Langshiang truly was beautiful once, but hopefully it can be in time. But no matter what happens to to it from here onwards, Ada can always think back to this night with Leon, because without properly knowing she has a feeling that they'll both agree that they left a part of them on that rooftop.

Langshiang was beautiful, and their short but memorable meet-up just now can keep it that way.


End file.
